The year is 2008. Barack Obama has just won a stunning upset over Hillary Clinton for the Democrat nomination for President. The McCain campaign hires an opposition research firm to dig into Obama’s background, and during the course of that investigation evidence of coordination with factions of the Iranian government is uncovered. A report is prepared detailing numerous meetings between members of the Iranian Government and mid-level members of Obama’s campaign.

The report claims the Iranians have offered to provide money and resources to the campaign, including illegally obtained documents from the RNC showing the primary process was rigged in favor of McCain, as well as contact information and coordination with tens of thousands of Muslim immigrants in the US who can be used in a massive voter fraud effort. In return, Obama agrees to remove all American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, close Guantanamo Bay, and to forge an agreement with the Iranians that will both end sanctions and allow their nuclear weapons program to continue unhindered.

The opposition research firm, realizing the implications this could have on the election process, as well as the country should Obama win the election, decides to contact authorities in the Bush Administration’s FBI. The report is largely unverified, but the information turns up the name of someone the FBI has previously had under surveillance as a possible Iranian asset. Because of this, the FBI makes an application to the FISA court to get permission to begin active surveillance on an Obama campaign member. The information from the report is not the main piece of evidence in determining probable cause, but it is mentioned in the application for the FISA warrant.

Do you think the FBI acted properly in the above scenario? If your answer is yes, then why does the idea that the Steele dossier was used to initiate a FISA warrant on Carter Page get you so upset? After all, this is the main thrust of the now infamous “memo” written by Devin Nunes that has just been released.

Nunes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has cobbled together a 4 page document that has been described as “earth shattering.” Sean Hannity declared the memo “makes Watergate like stealing a Snickers bar,” and Sebastian Gorka claims the revelations in the Nunes memo are “100 times bigger” than the abuses committed by the British that led to the American revolution. The accusation seems to focus on the idea that the FBI was completely in the tank for Hillary, and used politically charged, unverified information supplied to them by Hillary’s campaign to spy on the Trump campaign and to try and derail his bid for the Presidency.

Nunes is being accused by his detractors of cherry-picking snippets of information from classified sources in order to trash the FBI and the Justice Department in order to present Trump as a sympathetic victim in a conspiracy to de-legitimatize his presidency and remove him from office. For instance, the memo makes the claim that the Steele dossier “formed an essential part of the Carter Page FISA application.” An even more sensational claim in the memo is that then Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified before the House Intelligence Committee in December of 2017 that “no surveillance warrant would have been sought from the FISC without the Steele dossier information.” This seems to clearly be the impetus for McCabe going on leave until his retirement in March soon after FBI Director, Christopher Wray, finally got a chance to read the memo.

These two statements are, in my opinion, at the heart of complaints made by the FBI that the memo has “material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

There are a couple of misconceptions that need to get cleared up about this issue. First, “unverified” does not mean “untrue.” Much has been made by Trump defenders about the nature of the Steele dossier being unverified. They throw the term around as if it means the same thing as “false,” or “discredited.” The reality is that, in the intelligence community, unverified simply means the information has not been independently corroborated by other sources. Every word in that dossier may be absolutely true, but since the only source is from someone Steele has communicated with, and some of that comes from second hand communication, there is no way our intelligence community would consider that information verified without working to independently corroborate it.

Second, contrary to popular belief, it is actually harder to get approval for a FISA surveillance warrant than it is to get a regular warrant. The reason for this is because the proceedings are held in secret, and therefore the burden to show probable cause of criminal wrongdoing is much higher for the government. The idea that a FISA warrant could have been issued on simply the allegations of the Steele dossier alone is just not believable.

What you need to know is that Page was previously under FISA surveillance back in 2014 for contact and interactions with known Russian intelligence operatives. A very “pro-Kremlin” individual, Page was considered for recruitment as a Russian asset. In the summer of 2016, Page traveled to Moscow to give a very pro-Russian/anti-American speech. In his speech he declared, “Washington and other Western capitals have impeded potential progress through their often hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change.” This is not a man who was unknown to counter-intelligence authorities.

Could the dossier have provided the impetus for an investigation, and subsequent FISA application? Sure. Would it have been the only information provided to the courts? Absolutely not. The FBI could have indeed referred to the Steele dossier as one piece of evidence to establish probable cause, but it would not have been the only evidence. In fact, it is entirely possible the Steele dossier triggered an alarm that coincided with another ongoing investigation, which triggered the request for a FISA warrant. In that case, Nunes and staff could write that the FBI used information produced by a political opponent to obtain authorization to establish surveillance on a member of the Trump campaign, and be factually accurate. He could also get Andrew McCabe to answer direct questions, under oath, that without the Steele dossier, there would be no FISA application and be technically correct, but also presenting a slanted narrative that does not represent the full story.

In fact, lost in the accusations of this memo is one important detail that should strike real fear into the hearts of many people close to the Trump campaign. The memo states that an initial warrant was received on October 21, 2016, and that there were three renewals of the warrant. According to the memo, these FISA warrants “must be renewed every 90 days and each renewal requires a separate finding of probable cause.” Since the initial accusation of possible wrongdoing would not be sufficient to continue surveillance, it means the FBI must have been able to demonstrate actual intelligence stemming from their surveillance. It also implies that Carter Page was under active surveillance for the better part of a year, from late 2016 going into late 2017.

Just what does the FBI have on Carter Page?

The impetus for this memo seems to be pretty obvious. It looks designed to give Trump political cover to fire Robert Mueller, or to fire Rod Rosenstein (who appointed Mueller in the first place) and replace him with someone who will fire Mueller for him. This would be a move more colossally stupid then Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre,” where he kept firing Justice Department officials until he found one willing to fire Archibald Cox, the special counsel investigating him. At that point, no matter what the truth is, the idea would be solidified in the minds of most Americans that Trump is guilty of everything Democrats are accusing him of, and that Mueller was getting too close and needed to go.

The release of the memo, against the wishes of the Trump controlled Justice Department, and the Trump appointed head of the FBI, has already caused the FBI Agents Association to issue an unprecedented statement:

“The men and women of the FBI put their lives on the line every day in the fight against terrorists and criminals because of their dedication to our Country and to the Constitution. The American people should know that they continue to be well-served by the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency. FBI Special Agents have not, and will not, allow partisan politics to distract us from our solemn commitment to our mission.”

The questionable nature of this memo is compounded by the fact that, not only has Devin Nunes apparently not read the underlying classified information that is used as the basis for this memo, he refuses to say whether or not his staff worked with, or consulted, White House staff in the creation of this document.

I seriously worry about the damage this could do to the Republican party. In an attempt to protect the political future of one man, the Republican party seems willing to go on record accusing the FBI, the Justice Department, and our intelligence agencies of corruption and bias, incapable of being trusted. In order to provide political cover to end the special counsel investigation, the Republican party seems ready to undermine the trust we place in the very people we rely on to protect this nation against enemies, both foreign and domestic.

That’s quite a reversal for the party that has been the natural defender of the rule of law.

What makes this worse is that some of the loudest voices condemning the FBI for having the temerity to investigate the Trump campaign during the middle of the Presidential election (secretly, by the way. not a word of this investigation, or the Steele dossier, ever saw the light of day until after Trump won), are equally furious that the FBI did not lead Hillary Clinton away in handcuffs over the very public email investigation that went on during the middle of the presidential election. You can’t have it both ways.

I believe in the rule of law. I believe that people should be held accountable no matter what party they belong to. I am still waiting for Jeff Sessions to initiate investigations into the criminal activities of Hillary Clinton (email-gate), Lois Lerner (IRS abuses), Eric Holder (Fast and Furious), and all the others who have escaped justice for the last 8 years. I also believe there are too many questions surrounding the role Russia played in our elections, and I believe the Mueller investigation needs to be allowed to run to its conclusion.

In just 6 months Mueller has already produced two indictments, two guilty pleas, and two cooperating witnesses. I expect when all is said and done, Paul Manafort and his crony, Rick Gates, will go to jail for money laundering and racketeering, Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos will be the latest examples of why you don’t lie to federal investigators, and the Trump family will get a scolding for coming too close to an attempt by the Russians to infiltrate the campaign or compromise Trump family members, but no charges of wrongdoing. Any attempts to short circuit this investigation will set in motion a chain events that I believe will be incredibly damaging to our country.

As for the FBI and the Justice Department, the Inspector General will soon be issuing a report on the activities surrounding the handling of the Clinton email investigation. That report should be used to hold any guilty people accountable. I think it is incredibly dangerous, and highly improper to impugn the dignity and reputation of the two departments we rely on to uphold the laws of this country, simply to provide political cover for one man, no matter what office he holds.

UPDATE:

It appears there is a third problem with the memo I did not catch, but luckily David French over at National Review did. At the end of the Nunes memo, there is an extraneous paragraph that really has nothing to do with the FISA warrant on Carter Page. It says that information about George Papadopolous “triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent Pete Strzok.” This paragraph was presumably added so that discussion of the salacious text messages between Strzok and Lisa Page could be included in the memo as a further example of the bias rampant in the FBI. Unfortunately, this paragraph also inadvertently confirms a NY Times story that details a drunken Papadopolous telling the top Australian Diplomat in London that the Russians had political dirt on Hillary Clinton, and when the DNC emails started appearing on Wikileaks two months later, the Australians contacted the FBI.

If the Nunes memo is to be believed, and Nunes and his allies have claimed the FBI found the memo to contain “no factual errors,” then the Trump campaign was the subject of investigation months before Christopher Steele came calling with his memo paid for by the DNC, which ends up blowing the whole premise of this memo (that the entire Russia investigation was concocted by the Clinton campaign) out of the water.

#ReleaseTheMemo – Is Defending Trump Worth Undermining the FBI? – UPDATED was last modified: February 3rd, 2018 by Mick Staton

Devoted husband and father of five, Mick is a recovering politician who now works in the software development field. He has spent most of his life involved in politics, starting out working for his father's Congressional campaigns in WV when he was 8 years old. Since moving to Loudoun County Mick has served as a precinct captain, district chairman, Loudoun County YR Chairman, and was elected to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in 2003.

What a great show this is. I am having a grand time. Figure that we will collect around 500 signatures or so this weekend.

just a wild & crazy RINO

Well, Team RINO collected over a thousand signatures this weekend. Corey Stewart, Mary Jones, and a number of other politicians showed up. Even my hero Kenny Golden.
The next Virginia Beach Gun Show will be in late October. Think I will see if it is possible to work out something with RPV for that one.

Chad Davis

The same corrupt DOJ/FBI actors – Lynch, Comey, Strzok, McCabe who let Hillary go free are the same ones who opened a major investigation based on a political hit piece by the DNC, as this memo shows. This memo confirms a highly politicized FBI – and was worth publishing.

Andrew Olson

The current head of the DOJ and FBI — both Trump hires, serve at his pleasure — disagree with you. They say the memo omits key facts.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

When did Jeff Sessions say the memo omits key facts?

Andrew Olson

Both offices supported the FBI release.

FrankUnderwoodSr

They have already leaked every key fact they have, and even a few more lies to boot. They can’t manufacture any more key facts, and they will never have anything, because there wasn’t any collusion in the first place. The Dems are getting increasingly hysterical in their allegations because Obama and Hillary have been caught red-handed using the DOJ and FBI to try to frame Trump. They will do anything to obfuscate what they have done.

Andrew Olson

You realize the Director of the FBI is a Trump appointee and serves at his pleasure, right? And you realize he said the memo omits key facts, right?

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Well, the Director of the FBI needs to talk to his people when two of his subordinates read the memo and both said that it was factually accurate.

Like what? I have not heard any Democrat saying anything in the memo was incorrect.

Andrew Olson

The Democrats report on the memo was not released by the committee, not cleared for national security purposes. The FBI says it omits key facts the impact its accuracy. The DOJ agrees and adds nat’l security grounds. Both agency directors were picked by Trump, serve at his pleasure. Paul Ryan and Trey Gowdy among others say it is wrong to interpret the memo as discrediting the Russia investigation, each observing that the FISA warrants were justified by add’l facts presented.

So, sure, it would be great for the committee to release the minority report, but Republicans themselves have cast sufficient doubt:

They didn’t have the Patriot act when Nixon was president. If these agencies are playing games with elections what are they doing to the rest of us? We’ve been told that our personal lives won’t be compromised by surveiling bureaucrats, but yet here we are. What’s going on right now is the camel’s nose sliming the nation’s face. Release every hidden detail of this sordid affair now!

Warmac9999

To do anything less undermines America.

Andrew Olson

Agreed, so why does the committee oppose releasing the additional information and the minority memos? Let’s repeat: “Release every hidden detail …”

DJRippert

I agree. Release it all and let America get a good whiff of the stench of the deep state.

Andrew Olson

Total transparency, not selective release. Agreed with you, DJRippert. And agreed with Warmac, this fish is rotting from the head of government down. Go direct to the top. There’s a reason Trump set up his man Nunes to craft this memo selectively.

Fist Rockbone

The American people deserve institutions that serve their interests, not those of those in power. When institutions such as the IRS are used to harass citizens for political reasons, or the FBI used to try to influence an election with lies, there needs to be a reckoning. When the ATF arms criminals and those illegally sold weapons are used to murder a US Border Patrol agent, there needs to be a reckoning.

These institutions are beholden to We The People, not elitists who constantly jockey for power and influence. If we cannot trust those charged with upholding the law to actually follow the law, then the fundamental authority upon which the power to govern rests no longer exists. Government derives its just powers from the governed. That which we’ve collectively given to the government, can be collectively taken back. We cannot do this, if whe don’t know that real abuses of power and authority are occurring.

Yes, it is worth undermining the FBI, if the FBI is already compromised.

Warmac9999

Cleaning corruption out of a law enforcement agency doesn’t undermine it, it improves it. You can’t have rogue cops running around and making things up to get the results they want – and that is the case here. Cops who do this get fired, and if things are bad enough arrested and put in jail. You don’t get a pass for having misused your oath of service to protect the people under the assumption that the people may elect the wrong guy in your opinion. Unfortunately, in their drive to elect Clinton, the DOJ and FBI leadership did far worse things than abusing the fisa process. They allowed Hillary to undermine national security in a number of ways. What happened here is the corruption of power that the founders always worried about particularly when it came to the rule of law and justice under it.

“The American people deserve institutions that serve their interests, not those of those in power.”

Yes, they absolutely do. The American people also deserve leaders that stand up for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter which party the target of an investigation belongs to.

John Massoud

I’ve read pieces on TBE which I disagreed with but never anything as insulting to the mind as the one above. You sir should be ashamed

Warmac9999

The comparison of the Obama vs Trump information is really insipid.

Mick Staton

Exactly which part should I be ashamed of?

Is it the part where I create a scenario that puts Obama in the place of Trump and force you to confront the idea that it is only your partisanship that has you so worked up over this investigation?

Is it the part where I address the contents of the Nunes memo and analyze their factual accuracy versus the narrative the memo is trying to create?

Is it the part where I worry about the damage that could be caused by trashing our law enforcement agencies, or where I say I believe in the rule of law and want Jeff Session to start prosecuting all the Democrats that got a free pass under Obama?

Please tell me what part I should be ashamed of, because in the last piece I saw you write for this blog you were attacking other Republicans for not possessing sufficient obedience to the wishes and whims of Donald Trump. You seem to place idolatry over integrity, so forgive me if I feel that your opinion on this issue may be a bit, shall we say, unreliable on this issue.

Warmac9999

You very adequately espouse one of the many Democrat positions aimed at undermining the Nunes memo and, thereby, the rule of law which you profess to support. I add only one thing. Trashing the law enforcement agencies of the United States occurred during the Obama presidency not the Trump presidency. If justice is to be done here, a lot of Obama DOJ and FBI leaders, as well as others, need to be indicted.

A memo is not a substitute for an indictment. A firing for abuse of office is not a substitute for an indictment.

Mick Staton

I didn’t undermine the Nunes memo. It undermined itself. The entire premise of the memo is that the only evidence used against Trump is the Steele dossier, yet it admits that an investigation into Trump campaign officials had already begun in July based on George Papadopolous shooting his mouth off in a London bar about the Russians having political dirt on Hillary.

Then the memo admits that the FISA surveillance warrant was renewed, not once, not twice, but THREE times against Carter Page. The initial allegations raised by the dossier and any other corroborating evidence would not have been enough to continue the surveillance of Carter Page well into the Trump presidency. In order to keep the surveillance going, they had to have produced actual intelligence.

So we have Carter Page being spied on for pretty much all of Trump’s presidency so far, with that surveillance producing evidence of either criminal wrongdoing or espionage, and we have George Papadopolous pleading guilty to lying to federal investigators and acting as a cooperating witness, possibly wearing a wire for months.

Let those two facts sink in for awhile….

Alan

So what if the warrant was renewed! You haven’t seen the underlying documentation and have absolutely no idea if it contained fraudulent material. FBI and DOJ lied to the FISC by omitting the provenance of the dossier! BTW – you must be aware that Mueller delayed Flyn’s Sentencing hearing just a few days ago. Why would he do that? LOL. Maybe because he knows his case against Flyn is not going to age well. In fact it may age just as badly as your article. We shall see when more is revealed.

Mick Staton

So now you are claiming that, not only did the FBI use only opposition research to spy on the Trump campaign, but that they lied to the judge about any evidence they may have collected to continue the warrant?

As for Flynn, it is a sentencing hearing, not a trial. Flynn has already pled guilty to breaking the law. His sentence will be determined by his level of cooperation. If Mueller is delaying it, it could be as simple as a scheduling issue, or it could be Flynn needs reminding of his promise to cooperate.

We shall see.

Andrew Olson

The FBI and DOJ declared this week “we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” The heads of the FBI and DOJ are handpicked by Trump, serve at his pleasure, so have no motive to spin or lie against him.

FISA court judges are appointed by a conservative Republican, Chief Justice Roberts. They do their jobs so renewal is an important signal. BTW, surveillance of Carter Page began a month *after* he left the Trump campaign.

Delayed sentencing hearings keep the axe hanging over the head of the witness and are not evidence of the case not going well — Flynn pled guilty, remember? The case against Flynn is over. It’s a sign he’s needed for the next phase.

Warmac9999

You could have a hundred renewals and none of that matters. The original FISA warrant was the fruit of the poisonous tree. All subsequent fruit from said tree is poisonous and inadmissible for use by the justice system as a result.

Andrew Olson

Numerous Republican leaders — even those involved like Gowdy — say that’s a pile of BS. Ryan says its BS. And so on.

Get this: Even the Nunes memo denies it by observing the matter was initiated when Popadapolous spilled the beans with a leak.

FISA judges are appointed by a conservative Republican, the Chief Justice of the SupCt. They do their jobs. They will not renew absent proof of efficacy, so renewals prove the warrant correct in the first place.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Yet Hillary and her entourage gets a pass for exposing classified information on a private server… Yep, justice only goes one way and the political class gets a pass.

Mick Staton

Stop cryin’ to me about that. Jeff Sessions runs the Justice Department right now, not Loretta Lynch. I would love to know why Sessions hasn’t charged her yet.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

I’m not crying about that. I’m highlighting the fact the FBI and DOJ are tainted organizations and turn a blind eye to crimes of the political class. Sessions is a stooge and part of the political class. He’ll never investigate the previous administration.

The FBI can preach all they want about keeping America safe… nonsense. They are the enforcement arm of the DNC.

Andrew Olson

Your claims are false.

The FBI is run by a handpicked choice of Donald Trump, hardly anywhere near connected to the enforcement arm of the DNC. Same with the DOJ.

OTOH, you have my agreement: Fire them both and the fool who put them there.

Andrew Olson

I give her no pass. Prosecute her. Lock her up.

DJRippert

I agree with you. Mr. Staton’s article is more deep state excuse making. The fact that there’s a secret court at all is anti-democratic. The fact that the FBI would seek warrants on political figures from the secret court based on unverified information from a dossier paid for by the opposing campaign (among others) is disgraceful. The fact that the FBI apparently did not disclose the source of their information ought to be illegal. The fact that the FISA cour apparently didn’t demand the full basis for secretly spying on a political figure calls into question whether the court should exist at all. Add in the broad based unmasking of American citizens, the idiotic and immature texting between a key investigator and his lover and remember the abuses of J. Edgar Hoover. You have to be one hell of a deep state apologist to write a blog effectively saying, “Nothing to see here. Move along.”

Andrew Olson

Let me get this straight: You want open court for discussion of American methods and tradecraft in pursuit of terrorists and this nation’s enemies?

DJ, I thought you were smarter than this. A serious demerit in your reasoning skills. If these ends justify these means you are sorely lacking in judgment.

I repeat: This nation’s top law enforcement officials need latitude to present secrets to properly selected judges to provide the very due process you seek, else this carefully gleaned information cannot be used — and cannot be collected — at all. Full Fail. Kiss our rear ends good-bye.

DJRippert

The Trump campaign was plotting terrorism with the Russians? Really?

Andrew Olson

You criticized FISA courts for being closed. There is good reason for that. Methods and tradecraft would be exposed in open court. How we know what we know is top secret. Terrorism is only one of the many good reasons FISA courts are completely confidential.

DJRippert

I criticize the FISA court for being closed AND overly broad. A secret court should be very narrowly charged and should pass cases outside their narrow purview to normal, public courts of law. There was no threat of terrorist violence from the alleged Trump campaign’s dealings with Russians (again, alleged). There was no need for a secret court to rule on that surveillance request. It should have been heard in a normal court.
The FISA court was established in 1978. How oh how did our country survive for 202 years before the blessed FISA court?

In 2013, The New York Times said “it has quietly become almost a parallel Supreme Court.” Does that sound good to you?

In 2013, a top-secret order issued by the court, which was later leaked to the media from documents culled by Edward Snowden, required a subsidiary of Verizon to provide a daily, on-going feed of all call detail records—including those for domestic calls—to the NSA.

Like all deep state operations, the FISA court has gone from something that might have been necessary (maybe) to an out of control appendage to the deep state’s domestic spying operations.

Liberty is preserved by constraining the bureaucracy not be expanding and enabling it.

Andrew Olson

When it comes to protecting our nation and her national security secrets there should and need be no compromise. Focus investigations as you will — no objection here to focus — let our FISA courts remain closed lest our secrets be exposed to our enemies.

Naturally, if no secrets are involved, no need to use the FISA court.

As so many have noted lately: Conservatives traditionally take the side of law enforcement. I am solidly with those who stand on walls to protect us. FISA court criticism has traditionally come from liberals. I do not stand with them when it comes to our nation’s methods, techniques and implementations of surveillance and fact gathering.

Eric the half a troll

Well, Conservatives were perfectly fine spying on US citizens without warrants as I recall.

Andrew Olson

I do not support violating the constitution. There are inevitable compromises, but they are minimized with FISA courts. Naturally, it would be great if everything could be open, but those who supply America information must be protected insofar as possible. Journalists do the same, and with good reason.

Eric the half a troll

What a twist of his comment. Intentionally obtuse and intellectually dishonest does not begin to characterize the foul. Really?!

Andrew Olson

Americans deserve all the facts adjudged with an open mind. Why the rush to judgment, especially when it is our nation’s top law enforcement officers warning us material facts were omitted?

Give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt. They stand on a wall for us. I will not turn against them absent a preponderance of evidence with all relevant facts brought into light.

Clearly, this is not that time. Those who rush to judgment now mark themselves as those for whom the ends (defending Trump) justify the means (selective release, partisan memos).

Carter Page did meet with Russians. Flynn, Papadapolous — they’ve confessed. Campaign Manager Manafort and aide under arrest. Mueller — who was welcomed by all — wants to interview POTUS, and now this?

If you fall for this, you will fall for anything and stand for nothing. The shame, the stain.

Just because a bunch of others are drinking the Kool-Aid, doesn’t mean I have to. Neither is Mick, thankfully.

Andrew Olson

Does it matter that RPV support is now a distinct minority in the State of Virginia?

FrankUnderwoodSr

Nope. After reading the memo, it is clear that the Dems were lying about it all along. There is nothing in it that compromises sources/methods, as they claimed. It was ridiculously over-classified, clearly for political purposes. Also, the memo does not attack the FBI as an institution, but it certainly implicates top leadership in abuses of power. It’s becoming clearer everyday that Obama had weaponized the DOJ, the IRS, and the FBI in ways that Nixon never dreamed of. Stay tuned.

Andrew Olson

How can you draw conclusions from one side of the story? Have you no curiosity about the information our nation’s top law enforcement officers felt should’ve been included for context? Do you always fall for one side’s attempt to distract the narrative with self-selected releases?

FrankUnderwoodSr

The Dems lied about the memo. Do you always believe liars?

Andrew Olson

No, I don’t believe anything about this until I see and hear all the evidence. Especially so when it is our nation’s top law enforcement officers who urge me to consider as yet unreleased evidence before I reach a conclusion.

FrankUnderwoodSr

You’re being foolish. The highest levels of the FBI have selectively leaked information to the press to bolster the false impression of collusion, all while they colluded themselves with the Clinton campaign to help tailor the Steele dossier for maximum political damage to Trump. They’ve done everything possible to avoid even releasing the Nunes memo which only outlines the most basic facts. They argued it would reveal sources and methods (another falsehood). They also argued that important information is missing, while they themselves have been selectively leaking information to the press that they wanted revealed. You are incredibly naive if you think you’re going to get any new exculpatory evidence from these people. They haven’t got squat.

Andrew Olson

Is Paul Ryan foolish?

“This memo is not an indictment of the FBI, of the Department of Justice.”

How about Trey Gowdy? Foolish? He says he helped draft it and that it reveals ample additional evidence for FISA warrants beyond the dossier and so has no impact.

The memo itself is a lie. The FISA warrant application included information about the political nature of the dossier. The thing you all are missing is that several times, a FISA judge agreed that continues surveillance of members of the Trump campaign was warranted. Plenty of evidence of wrongdoing. Of course, we all know this and we all know where this is going. Trump is dirty, plain and simple – and everybody knows it. Technicalities are all you have left.

FrankUnderwoodSr

Comey lied, McCabe lied, Schiff lied. And senior FBI personnel misled the FISA judge by not revealing that the DNC paid for the creation of the false dossier. And then the FBI had to backfill and find a way to pay FUSION GPS again, to reproduce the same false material to make it look like their own work product. Of course in your bizarre world… these are mere technicalities. LOL.

Andrew Olson

You don’t know that, and the FBI protests that the judge was informed of its political nature. Let’s review, initiated during the primary by the conservative Washington Free Beacon, funded by Paul Singer.

Not at all technicalities, merely the selective release of one side of the story. Why won’t the committee release the minority memo? Why not the FBI version?

The fact set: Carter Page deserved surveillance. He was meeting with Russians and acting as a go-between. Papadapolous, Flynn — confessions. Manafort & Co. — under arrest. Now a Trump interview — and the man himself helps craft a selective memo? Denies the other POVs and calls it transparency?

FrankUnderwoodSr

I’m all for releasing the Dem version, but you’re delusional if you think you’ll be enlightened by people who looked right into the camera and lied to you just days ago.

As for the FBI version, at this point I’m more interested in what Comey and McCabe and Lynch say under oath. Colluding with the Clinton campaign to produce a political attack on the Trump campaign is not going to be so easily spun away like the media hopes it will.

Warmac9999

Rosenstein apparently threaten Nunes and members of the House intelligence committee. See Gateway Pundit article.

Andrew Olson

I hope he did. If his allegations of national security implications are sincere, he better have threatened Nunes and members of the House intelligence committee.

Alan

NO-ONE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH A “COLLUSION” CRIME! could it be because there wasn’t any!?

Andrew Olson

Sure. that’s a possibility. On the other hand, it is also possible that collusion is a charge that comes further into the investigation after plea arrangements, additional testimony and evidence, which they are gathering in part with cooperative witnesses. Why jump the gun? Some say the wheels of justice turn slowly. An experienced, wise prosecutor like Mueller can be expected to move with deliberation and care. Mueller was welcomed by everyone involved. He deserves our patience, especially when the questions are as fundamental as dealing with allegations involving Russia and national security information.

Mick Staton

Actually, that is not entirely true. The memo makes clear that Carter Page has been under surveillance for at least a year. For all we know that surveillance may be ongoing. Because of the release of this memo, any foreign intelligence agent, or anyone involved in any criminal activity with Page would be alerted to the surveillance. Plans would then be changed, or communications methods altered, and months of work by investigators could have gone up in smoke.

But, then again, that is part of the point, isn’t it?

FrankUnderwoodSr

Even liberal longtime MSNBC legal expert Jonathan Turley disagrees with you: “When you say that there’s a national security risk about a memo being released, and it is something like this, that doesn’t have any sources of methods or sensitive information, it’s a problem because that’s lying to America”

Warmac9999

You undermine your own argument when you admit the obama related scandalous material was not the main reason for the FISA warrant at the time. In any investigation, lots of things are brought forward – and a good investigator uses it all and then sorts out the good from the bad. This was not the case with Trump. The DOJ and FBI leadership relied solely on what they knew was unverified and scurrilous information because electing Trump was unacceptable to them and their bosses, Obama’s and predictably Clinton.

What is ongoing here is a coup not a poor investigation. The perpetrators of that coup deserve to be indicted, tried and imprisoned as was the case with Nixon’s key people. Giving equivalence here is not only badly misplaced but doesn’t make sense even using your own analysis,

By the way, I have friends in the FBI and they understand the damage that was done by their politicized leadership and suffer for it. When politics is more important than the Constitution and when leaders think that a free people are too stupid to know what is good for them, you have the makings of a dictatorship.

Mick Staton

Your first flaw is the claim that the only information relied on by the FBI is the Steele dossier. The memo certainly wants to give you that impression, but it does not say that. It says the memo was “an essential part” of the FISA application. In addition, the memo also clearly states that the Trump campaign workers were already under investigation months before the Steele dossier arrived at the FBI’s door, as I have outlined in the update above.

Your second flaw is claiming the FBI relied on unverified information. We know some of the information was verified at the time. What we don’t know is how much more of the information has since been verified, and we won’t know because it is classified and part of an ongoing investigation.

Your arguments are based on a flawed premise, fueled by a political spin document designed to get you to distrust our law enforcement community.

McCabe said without the dossier they never would have filed for a FISA warrant.

Mick Staton

McCabe confirmed the Steele dossier initiated an investigation of Page. He did not say the Steele dossier was the only information ever used to get the warrant, and the dossier would never be enough to have the warrant renewed THREE TIMES. In order for that to happen, the surveillance would have to have born fruit.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Wow, you really drunk the Koolaid.

Warmac9999

He didn’t drink Koolaid. He is part and parcel of a group trying to undermine the Trump Presidency. He apparently doesn’t care that illegal action at the highest levels of government occurred as long as that illegal action benefits his political position. After all, it is the Chicago way.

mezurak

A group you say? Hmm. Wonder how many bureaucrats and dems flew to Sea Island?

FrankUnderwoodSr

According to those present in the room, he actually did say the FBI would not have pursued the FISA warrant without the dossier. We will all know the truth when the testimony is made eventually made public.

mezurak

The testimony will never see the light of day.

Warmac9999

it will take another special counsel to expose the truth of this McCabe statement.

Warmac9999

Obama judge. The collusion goes far beyond Obama’s FBI and DOJ stooges. I look forward to another special counsel aimed at the Obama FBI/DOJ and the exposure of the FISA judge or judges who allowed this miscarriage of justice to occur.

Warmac9999

That is what is being reported. The Dems, as part of their panic, have said he didn’t do so. They can get away with this particular lie because the congressional testimony behind closed doors hasn’t been released yet. It is pretty obvious that the bogus dossier was needed and Ohr and his wife worked wit Steele to make it appear more credible.

Andrew Olson

Warmac: Aren’t you the one standing by the Charlottesville driver? So why isn’t the verdict still out on this half a story? You jump to conclusions here you remain unwilling to draw in other matters, so let’s just call you out as the hypocrite you are.

A very sad comment that will stain a very good group of honest men and women for decades. As it stands today, your representation of this badge is all too accurate. Only if the leadership that did these evil deeds faces the law will things get better.

Friends, Romans, countrymen. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them. The good is often interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. What was said a couple of thousand years ago is still relevant today.

Eric the half a troll

You do know that was from a play and did not really happen, don’t you…?

Warmac9999

Anthony delivered the elegy for Caesar and was so inspiring that the crowd rioted. Shakespeare played on the historical event which involved quite dramatic use of Caesars blood stained toga and the reading of Caesars will which gave the Roman citizens a number of things. There is no specific record of what was actually said as part of Anthony’s elegy.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no faith in the system that those in the FBI/DOJ who are complicit will be punished. Like everything else in DC, all talk and the guilty walk.

Mavis Beaumont

First of all, our president should not be addressed as Trump or Donald Trump. He holds the highest position in America and deserves to be called PRESIDENT Trump. Second of all, no one is saying the entire FBI is corrupt.

Warmac9999

Point we’ll take. To tar every FBI agent and employee with corruption is stupid. We are talking here about upwards of twenty people at the top not the thousands who do honest and difficult work every day.

mezurak

When the boss does it, it’s just a matter of time.

Warmac9999

I have heard that argument. But having friends in the FBI I just don’t see it. The fish rots from the head is a time worn phrase and corruption, if it not dealt with, can certainly spread within an organization.

Andrew Olson

Wow, that sure is true: Our government is rotting from the head.

Good observation: The rot starts at the head. If you find rot you will find a rotten head. Truly in evidence here.

Eric the half a troll

Trumpity, Trump, Trump, Trump, Mavis

Ellen Runno

The Trump Dossier is the only proof of a political campaign collaborating with Russia that exists. Unfortunately for the Democrats the evidence is the Dossier itself, and the political campaign that collaborated with a foreign intelligence service was Hillary Clinton’s. Since the sole source of the information is a foreign intelligence service, and neither the FBI nor the Clinton campaign had any way to corroborate it, it appears that both the FBI and Clinton corroborated with Russian Intelligence to undermine the lawful transition of presidential power.

Eric the half a troll

Your premise is flawed in general, however, “Since the sole source of the information is a foreign intelligence service”
Steele was not a member of a foreign intelligence service when he did the work ultimately funded by the Clinton campaign. Try to keep it a little close to factual, please.

Ellen Runno

Try reading the dossier please before you try to correct me. If we’re discussing facts, how about the fact that Steele based the dossier on sources within the Russian government, many of whom have ties to the state security apparatus? This was a Russian intelligence operation to aid Clinton, not Trump.

Andrew Olson

Actually, it started in October 2015, during the Republican primary campaign through the efforts of The Washington Free Beacon a conservative website primarily funded by Republican donor Paul Singer.

Eric the half a troll

You wrote: “…and the political campaign that collaborated with a foreign intelligence service was Hillary Clinton’s”

The only person that the campaign interfaced with was Steele who was not a member of a foreign intelligence service. Further, you have no idea what evidence Mueller has on Trump.

Eric the half a troll

According to the WSJ, DOJ prosecutors seeking a surveillance warrant against Carter Page alerted the FISA court that some of the information in their application came from a politically motivated source—contrary to what the GOP memo claims.

Alan

BINGO!!!!!

Michael Giere

What is being missed here is that this whole nightmare really has nothing to do with President Trump, other than he is the subject of the slow-motion coup by our own government and national media.

This is about an out-of-control government, unresponsive to the people or even to Congress (which itself is in operational chaos). The intelligence agencies, Justice, the FBI, ATF and DEA have all been drowning in politics and bloated management systems for sometime. Simply look back over the last twenty years or so (really all the way back to the Bay of Pigs) and the colossal intelligent and operational failures – Iran, 9/11, Ruby Ridge, Waco, Fort Hood, Boston, Fast and Furious, numerous spies and moles working for decades only to be caught by mishap…and on and on. Not a handful of “mishaps,” but more often than not. Intelligence was delivered only to be ignored, often because of politics (Mr. Mueller himself as FBI director purged anti-terrorism training material after secret meetings with complaining Islamic organizations.) Or operational action was taken on flawed or petty reasoning. Justice has been show to time and again parse the law and allow politics and personal vendettas to destroy innocent citizens. It’s a mess folks. Congress has refused to demand reform through legislation or funding, serial presidents have been reluctant or oblivious to the deepening crisis. So here we are. In all honesty, no one should be surprised. It’s the tip of the iceberg, frankly. It’s way past time to reel the government in – but that will take po’d citizens and a demanding Congress. I’m not sure we have either yet.

Mick Staton

What is being missed here is that members of the Trump campaign were, or are, the legitimate subjects of a counter intelligence investigation, and no amount of spin designed to trash the reputations of the investigators is going to change that..

“I am still waiting for Jeff Sessions to initiate investigations into the criminal activities of Hillary Clinton (email-gate), Lois Lerner (IRS abuses), Eric Holder (Fast and Furious), and all the others who have escaped justice for the last 8 years.”

Barack Obama no longer controls the Justice Department, so there really is no excuse for those prosecutions not to go forward. If you are mad about them walking free, email the White House.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Yep, we’ve been waiting for a year now and I guess we’ll keep waiting. Jeff Sessions won’t do anything.

You’re right about one thing, Obama no longer controls the DOJ, so there’s no excuse for Clinton/Lerner/Holder, etc from being prosecuted.

Yes I’m mad they are walking free, but you must think I’m stupid thinking that emailing the White House will do anything.

Warmac9999

We don’t know the extent to which Obama appointees are still influencing the prosecutions. What is needed is a really tough cop not a former congressman. If you are going to make scrambled eggs you’ve got to actually break the eggs not gingerly punch small holes in them and hope to drain the contents.

Andrew Olson

Hence Mueller, welcomed by all.

Warmac9999

There is still time. The wheels of justice often spin quite slowly.

Chad Davis

Michael is a lot smarter than Mick.

Andrew Olson

Surely you are forgetting Mueller, welcomed by all, right? You also know that no POTUS simply appoints a judge, right? You also know FISA court judges have no role in keeping “an anti-Trump inquiry open” at all, let alone forever, right?

Andrew Olson

None are Obama appointees. FISA court judges are appointed by the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Sorry, Chad, your dog don’t hunt. Appointed by a Republican.

Warmac9999

That is the stunning aspect of all this. You have a trumped up attack on President Trump and nothing on the obvious criminal behavior of Clinton and her cronies. This is the other massive political abuse by DOJ/FBI leadership.

Andrew Olson

“Obvious criminal behavior” somehow led you to defend the Charlottesville driver against what you called a rush to justice. But you will take shortcuts here? Tsk tsk.

For you, Warmac, justice comes in the form an AR-15 to deal with a potential president. Explain that! Why did you say you wanted an AR-15 to deal with HRC?

Andrew Olson

Righto! Just who is running this country, eh?

Andrew Olson

Agreed with Warmac: Fire the heads of the FBI and the DOJ and show to the door the fool who handpicked them for their jobs.

Warmac9999

I would put legitamte in quotes if I were you. Legitimacy is what is in question.

Warmac9999

I am not even sure that this was a slow motion coup. It appears that it involved many different fronts and indirect side action – and it is still ongoing a year after Trump became President. The Mueller investigation is but one part of the coup. There is the emboldened ANTIFA and “Resistance” movements. There is the OFA which is a shadow government designed to undermine President Trump. This coups is extensive and dangerous in the extreme.

Andrew Olson

And so many different people from both sides involved in the so-called coup. The Steele memo was initiated by the conservative Washington Free Beacon and Paul Singer, and during the primary. How did they get admitted to the coup? Was it really planned so early that Republicans and Democrats came together to make it happen?

Andrew Olson

Absolutely agreed with Michael Giere. Those running the Dept of Justice and the FBI must be held accountable. Each was handpicked by POTUS, not promotions from within.

Let’s get rid of the head of the FBI. Let’s get rid of the head of the Dept of Justice. And let’s show the guy who put them in their jobs the door. It’s time as they say to clean house.

Eric the half a troll

Exciting day, eh. Not only did the GOP shoot itself in the foot with their earth shattering memo but the Stock Market lost more points than it has since George W. Bush was president. Never, under Obama, did the DOW lose this many points. Thanks, Trump.

DJRippert

On October 28 – 29, 1929 the stock market dropped 69 points setting off the Great Depression. I guess your fourth grade math would lead you to believe this was almost ten times worse. Don’t worry, in fifth grade you’ll learn all about percentages and why they lead to more informed thoughts about things like the stock market.

Warmac9999

To protect the Obama corruption, you have to delay, deny and deflect. This is standard swamp tactics. It really doesn’t matter what the truth is as long as the political end is served. Churchill once said something to the effect that a lie is half way around the world while the truth is still putting its pants on. The thing is, the truth eventually gets its pants on and overruns the lies. Not always but often enough to correct injustices like what happened with the Obama led DOJ and FBI.

Andrew Olson

Warmac, the truest thing you’ve ever written is that rot is from the head down. Very true in this case, too.

Eric McGrane

This piece is loltastic.

Warmac9999

Except that it is part of the attempt to undermine the truth. If you can create enough doubt, then you win. The strategy of the Dems involves many different types of attacks. Last night, Tucker Carlson was accused of being unAmerican and possibly aiding a criminal conspiracy by a California representative. There was no proof or explanation just allegation. Only when indictments occur will reality become clearer. People say this is the Dems watergate. It is much, much worse.

Andrew Olson

Are they prosecuting any Democrats? Or do you simply say that in defense of those they are prosecuting?

Warmac9999

So far, the Democrat strategy is – admit nothing, lie about everything in the memo, blame anybody available to blame, and create as much confusion and obfuscation as possible. Only solution to this is to make the situation real through indictments.

Andrew Olson

Democrats? The accused worked on the Republican campaign to elect DJT. You are conflating the perps with their opponents, but then we know you are easily confused.

DJRippert

If I had to name the most corrupt American political figure of all time I’d probably say, “J. Edgar Hoover”. Secret domestic spying, hidden dossiers, blackmail of America’s highest elected officials. Why is anybody surprised that an agency which venerates its treasonous former leader by naming its headquarters building after him is still playing fast and loose with the law? This is the same FBI who protected Whitey Bulger for years and years while Bulger committed murder after murder. Now they’ve been caught with their hands in the political cookie jar again. Why is anybody surprised?

When a democracy establishes a secret court it is incumbent on everybody dealing with that court to be perfectly open and transparent to the court. Anything less is proof of being unfit to hold a position of responsibility in government. If the warrants were issued based on the Steele dossier that informatiion should have been made abundantly clear to the FISA court. This is especially true given the fact that Felonia von Pantsuit and the DNC were one of the funding sources for the dossier and the warrant was for a member of the opposition campaign. Are you kidding me? The FBI played fast and loose in that situation? Not only does that demonstrate compromised ethics it demonstrates a complete lack of fear of oversight by elected officials. Neither is acceptable.

Both the FISA court and the FBI need an overhaul. The FISA court should act only in cases of suspected terrorism. Any surveillance of a political figure should require sign off from a bipartisan panel of Congressmen. Any unmasking of an American citizen should require sign off from the same panel. Congress needs to launch a Church Commission like investigation of the FBI going back to the Hoover days. The Attorney General of the United States is an extremely political position. Giving him or her a gigantic law enforcement capability is, by definition, a risk of abuse. That law enforcement agency needs to be under close scrutiny by the US Congress to avoid more political abuses.

Eric the half a troll

“If the warrants were issued based on the Steele dossier that informatiion should have been made abundantly clear to the FISA court.“

It was, contrary to the false memo’s claims.

Warmac9999

Ah, the next step in the process. Allege that the memo is false. No surprise.

Andrew Olson

Incomplete.

Selectively drafted for one purpose only: Deflect the Mueller investigation that has now reached Trump. Nunes and Trump drafted the memo together. Even removed the word “significant” from the word “omissions” *after* the committee voted along partisan lines to release.

The next step in the process involves the release of the information selectively omitted, information our nation’s top law enforcement officers insist is important.

Let Mueller run his course. Get out of the way of justice.

Andrew Olson

Who alleges the memo is false and shouldn’t be released? The Director of the FBI, among others. Who made him the head of the FBI? Donald Trump chose him to run the FBI. Is Christopher Wray a career FBI guy? No, he was brought in by Trump from private practice.

Surprised?

Alan

When did the FBI Director say the memo was false!?

Andrew Olson

Wednesday: ““With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it. As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

At this point, the FBI will say anything to save face. This and after stonewalling Congress, they have NO credibility.

The FBI can tell me the sky is blue and I’ll go outside to check for myself… that’s how much I trust the FBI to tell the truth.

Andrew Olson

Understood, but let’s not pretend it isn’t Trump’s FBI and Trump’s DOJ. He handpicked those who run both. They serve at his pleasure and they know it.

Neither the DOJ nor the FBI is run by Obama holdovers. In fact, their leaders are nothing but Trump. The buck stops with Trump. He chose them, he keeps them.

Jean Baptiste Bellegarde

Trump has been in office for a year. This all happened well before he was elected. Most of those involved in this buffoonery are still in their positions and not appointed by Trump.

One thing I learned working with government employees is that if they don’t want to do something or to give you something… good luck because they’ll drag it out hoping you’ll forget about it. Worst of all, there’s no real repercussions!

Trump hasn’t been in office long enough to purge the Obama holdovers entrenched over the previous 8 years. Yes, he can appoint the head of an organization, but that doesn’t mean the minions will obey.

Warmac9999

That is why indictments are so important here. McCabe got fired. Lerner resigned. Neither face much of a consequence for their behaviors which undermined the American citizenry.

Fortunately, in Lerner’s case, she is being sued personally. The apparent argument is that she acted in a personal rather than official capacity when she stonewalled the Tea Party petitions. The IRS has been forced to admit guilt and paid something like $3M for the abuse, but they did not even attempt to give Lerner cover for what happened. Hopefully, she will spend many days worried about courts, depositions, trials, and potential bankruptcy. If nothing else, she will be dragged through the courts for years on end. Like OJ, there is and will be nothing left of her reputation.

DJRippert

Time will tell. All we have so far is “sources” cited by the same media that routinely lies about such things.

Warmac9999

The media has been and will continue to be part of the coup. They have gone all in and there is no way out. Unfortunately, the media can’t be indicted for corruption, they can only be ignored or condemned.

“Both the FISA court and the FBI need an overhaul. The FISA court should act only in cases of suspected terrorism. Any surveillance of a political figure should require sign off from a bipartisan panel of Congressmen.”

Let us know when you get that law passed. I remember when Bush/Cheney were wiretapping citizens without warrants and right wingers were defending then tooth and nail – on these very LC boards. That is why FISA was created (by Repubicans). A FISA judge looked at the evidence and was fully informed and agreed the Trump campaign should be under surveillance. That FACT should really concern all of you on many levels.

DJRippert

You live in a world where it matters whether the deep state actors are Republicans or Democrats. I don’t. A democracy should only have a secret court under the most extreme situations and that court should exist for as short a period of time as possible. The court should be very narrowly focused and should refer all actions outside of its focus area to other, public courts. It should never have issued secret warrants to spy on a political figure for possible collusion with Russia based on unverified evidence. As with everything else in the deep state anything out of eyesight of the public becomes cancerous.

Eric the half a troll

You do not know what information was included in the FISA warrant but you do know it was enough to convince a judge to agree to surveillance of a US citizen. That this person was in the inner circle of our current President should concern you as an American.

Warmac9999

More to come and, this time, directly aimed at Hillary.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) revealed Friday that Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee would examine other agencies, including the State Department, after releasing a controversial memo alleging surveillance abuses.

Speaking on Fox News just hours after Republicans on the committee released a memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ), Nunes said the panel was moving to “phase two” of its investigation.

“We are in the middle of what I call phase two of our investigation, which involves other departments, specifically the State Department and some of the involvement that they had in this,” Nunes said.

“That investigation is ongoing and we continue work towards finding answers and asking the right questions to try to get to the bottom of what exactly the State Department was up to in terms of this Russia investigation.”

Andrew Olson

Nunes is a Trump toady, a sycophant looking for a port after the storm of midterms.

There’s nothing like democracy. It’s beautiful, especially as practiced in Wisconsin, Alabama, Virginia and more to come. Get ready to wait in long lines on election day. Absentee ballot might be a good idea.

Also, for whatever purpose you were going to get that AR-15 — and you can be sure the FBI is both reading this and becoming aware of your attempted purchase and intended purpose (to deal with HRC’s potential election, as you put it publicly, Warmac9999) — you might want to renew your efforts. Or not.

The change you feared is coming. You reap what you sow.

mark Jawsz

You really need to relook those polls. Since you are a political adversary, I am glad you are underestimating Trump and exhibiting overconfidence. Excellent. It sort of reminds me of your network pals during the early evening of Election Day 2016. Man, I so much enjoyed that night.

Andrew Olson

My pals? I was fine with him winning. I sure didn’t vote for HRC. Was delighted he cancelled TPP, a giveaway to Pharma and Hollywood. I was turned when he appointed Jeff Sessions, and now I think even Trump would agree it will prove his biggest mistake.

Alan

Mick – there is so much nonsense in your piece I don’t know where to start!

Andrew Olson

The FBI Director is Christopher Wray. He was handpicked for this job by President Donald Trump, not a promotion from the “swamp.” He was in private practice before he arrived at the FBI because he was chosen by Trump.

Whatever you write about the FBI, remembers who runs it. Trump runs it. He handpicked the loyal director of the FBI:

And let us not forget Trump’s choice Jeff Sessions runs the Department of Justice.

If you object to the way the FBI or the DOJ has been run over the past year, remember: It is run by Trump. He chose them and they serve at his pleasure.

Ant

Ok smart one, notice all the accusations of wrongdoing took place under the Obama administrations. Small detail though, right?

Andrew Olson

Not at all a small detail, but not the point:

1. The FBI and DOJ opposed the memo release this week. Not under the Obama admin.

2. All the calls for cleaning house miss the point: They are now run and have been for quite a while by Trump. If the house is to be cleaned at DOJ and FBI, it should be done and over. In fact, this is the Trump DOJ and Trump FBI that some are clashing with.

I support them. You oppose them. It is Trump’s FBI and DOJ. Deal with it.

Ant

Ok but if you had the slightest capacity for rational thought you would realize that the improprieties mentioned by the memo relate to the time period BEFORE Trump was elected. As such it has nothing to do with how they have been run “over the past year”. Literally no one is talking about things “over the past year”, so stop acting really stupid.

Secondly, you know very well that if Trump tried to clean up the real corruption going on in the DOJ (i.e. firing Mueller and his band of hacks), the Democrats would scream bloody murder. He is simply showing everyone how corrupt and partisan this whole fake Russia-collusion hoax is by releasing the memo.

Andrew Olson

Slightest capacity for rational thought? Excuse me? Ad hominem attack reveals a distinct lack of capacity for reason. It is not “really stupid” to observe that the buck for the FBI and DOJ stops with Trump and both organizations opposed the memo’s release this week, and both should be swept clean if they are dirty because they are Trump people and not swamp critters installed by someone else.

This DOJ and this FBI — run by Trump — say the memo is false for omitting key facts. These are Trump’s choices, they serve at his pleasure, and they say it is false. No motive other than to support Trump and they say the memo does not reflect the full set of facts.

The buck for this FBI and this DOJ stops with Trump and his appointees to run them. Mueller was welcomed by all and should be respected as an independent special prosecutor. That you stoop to invective marks you as desperate.

mark Jawsz

I have watched both Fox/Ben Shapiro on one side VERSUS Bill Maher, Young Turks, CNN on the other side. I think both sides are cherry picking and intentionally ignoring their weak points and the good points made by their opponents. If you REALLY want to get as close to ground truth as you can on these matters, you have to watch all news outlets. AO – you should be alarmed at the clear disdain top FBI officials had against Trump. I know lots of conservatives in the military and in some rather high government positions (SES), and they would never talk to each other about Clinton and Obama as Strzok and Page did and then making references to “Andy” (very likely McCabe) and some “secret society.” That is pretty scary stuff.

Andrew Olson

I do not defend any partisanship displayed. It is both inappropriate and inevitable when humans are involved. Someone is *always* sleeping with someone else, some are *always* texting and this applies to any investigation of any kind. If this exonerates then we have many more cases to drop.

I am observing instead that even Trump’s own FBI Director says the memo is inaccurate because it omits key facts. The DOJ not only concurs, but adds that it also objects on national security grounds.

Those who say we should now clean house at the FBI and DOJ fail to acknowledge that Trump is already in charge there, has been for a while. The directors all serve at his pleasure.

If there are people to be fired, why aren’t they fired? If we knew any one thing about Trump it is that he likes to say “You’re fired.” He hasn’t.

Mueller is a special independent prosecutor and when appointed he was welcomed by all as a breath of fresh air. He is moving swiftly and surely to fulfill the mission he was given. He has already shown results, which include guilty pleas, confessions and arrests.

Ryan put it well: This memo should not be used to argue against further investigation. If that is the next step, a crisis will emerge, and we may already be there.

mark Jawsz

In this case, you make some good points. But there are several troubling revelations made by the Strzok-Page exchange, indicating that Hillary was not going to be charged before the investigators had a chance to interview her. That is really not kosher. If the FBI were so biased WRT Hillary (remember this was the Obama-Lynch Justice Department), then it is plausible to think some leading elements had it in for Trump.

Andrew Olson

I am fine with them prosecuting HRC. Didn’t vote for her, didn’t want her to be POTUS, was not at all surprised the terrible campaign she ran led to a loss. My POTUS politics were ABC — anyone but Bush or Clinton.

Warmac9999

You seem to think this matter to the left. Unfortunately, when the end justifies the means, then anything and everything is not only acceptable but necessary and justifiable. What you have in the Obama DOJ/FBI is the very worst of partisanship in that the end result must be the instituting of a dictatorship and the elimination of the “deplorable”. Nothing short of that will provide the desired ends.

Ant

You are too stupid to realize that people within the DOJ and FBI are working to destroy the Trump presidency, and they use the media to provide cover for them so if he does anything about it they will stir up a sh!tstorm amongst the ignorant electorate in this country, possibly resulting in an impeachment. I have no interest in debating someone who can’t figure out simple facts like this.

Andrew Olson

If that were true, shouldn’t they be fired? After all, the top official at DOJ, FBI were handpicked by Trump. Trump has practically made a religion of saying “You’re fired.” So why don’t they fire those people you claim are working to destroy the Trump presidency?

You say there will be a negative reaction if he does. Who cares? Do what is correct to do. The buck stops with him.

I want to know why he doesn’t take control as the American people elected him to do. The heads of both the DOJ and FBI serve at his pleasure. Make them run a tight ship or step aside for someone who will.

Ant

If you are too stupid to figure it out, then I doubt anything I can say will help you. Especially when I already clearly explained all the answers to your questions, and your only doofus response is “Who cares?” Lol you are willfully ignorant.

Andrew Olson

If they deserve to be fired, fire them. Or shut up about it. The buck stops with Trump.

Warmac9999

It is not willful ignorance. It is calculated ignorance which is far worse.

Andrew Olson

Then Trump should fire them. I have no tolerance for partisanship within either agency. Do it or shut up about it. The buck stops with Trump.

Alan

BINGO! He wants the public at large to learn that this is all nonsense and when the truth settles in it will be appropriate to move against the deep state thugs.

Andrew Olson

He can and should do it now! He’s not getting impeached. The numbers are not there and will not be there — not now, not post-mid-terms. It takes two-thirds vote of the Senate and they cannot agree on anything with those sorts of numbers. It’s an excuse. Get on with it. Besides, we’re talking agents, not the Director — he’s Trump’s guy already, and he’s an outsider.

Eric the half a troll

No he won’t get impeached. He could get indicted and the Trump GOP would not impeach him. That is because The Trump GOP cares more about power and corporate money than they do about America. They are anti-American plain and simple.

Mick Staton

That’s not true. The surveillance of Carter Page has gone on for at least a year, with most of that time while Trump was President. That means at least two of the renewals were applied for, and approved, under the Trump Justice Department.

Alan

Which only proves they are desperate and after years of watching Page they have nothing. There is no collusion. The collusion meme has zero factual criminal basis. No one has been charged with colluding.

Ant

My “sources” have given me unverified information that you like to club a baby kitten to death every night before going to sleep. Oh and by the way my source is someone who wants to see you ruined and your reputation destroyed. Just because it’s unverified doesn’t means it’s “untrue” though, right?

Hopefully now you see how absolutely stupid your article is.

Andrew Olson

Accusations of clubbing baby kittens to death every night before going to sleep?

My, my, quite the imagination. And I guess nothing unverified turns out to be true.

So I ask: The memo is unverified, right? Certainly there are credible claims to the contrary. Does that make its release stupid? Or do even unverified sources carry some weight, though less than, say, verified claims from sources unknown. Known sources, known facts? Few and far between.

Ken Reid

Based on Mick’s interesting revelation about McCain campaign oppo research being used as the basis of a FISA warrant to investigate Obama ties to Iran, I will say “touche” and acknowledge that yes, maybe it was regular business for the FBI to get a FISA warrant to wiretap Trump campaign people. However, I don’t recall this Iran thing dominating the airwaves as “russiagate,” which I would hope Mick would agree was all cooked up by sour grapes in the Clinton campaign and Obama admin in its dying days to tarnish Trump and hurt his credibility. So far the only indictments have been people like Manafort and FLynn, who seemed to have broken some actual laws. However, the mainstream media, working hand-in-glove with ex Obama admin people, bureaucrats who hate Trump and Dems in Congress, have made this Russia scandal the most intensely covered scandal since Lewinsky. and each day, CNN, MSDNC, the Post, and TImes hype their “Scoops” as if they have some new “conclusive evidence.” So, Nunes decided to change the plot of this sorry soap opera and show there was more Russia collusion with Hillary’s campaign than Trump’s. His memo also shows the anti-Trump biases of the investigators, including Andrew McCabe — whose doctor wife got $600000 from Clinton bag man Terry McAuliffe to unseat Micks father in law, Sen. Dick Black). In addition, the Dems and Media are now trying to say Nunes’ disclosure is the worst abuse of power of all time and that nobody will want to cooperate with teh FBI any more, and FBI and CIA won’t disclose anything to Congress ,etc. et. in other words, more liberal hype and hysteria.

Exactly! Great summary. Patricia McCarthy tells it like it is. Although, this TBE article’s commenters had this figured out right away.

DJRippert

“… we want no Gestapo or secret police. The FBI is tending in that direction. They are dabbling in sex-life scandals and plain blackmail. J. Edgar Hoover would give his right eye to take over, and all congressmen and senators are afraid of him.” — Harry S. Truman

What’s new?

Eric the half a troll

Trump’s tactics are more in line with Hoover’s than with Truman’s.

Deborah McNally

FBI subverted our Republic & was weaponized against opponents of obama:IRS,DOJ,NSA,CIA. Brennan briefed Reid on Dossier in August but forgets he already said he” first learned of Dossier in Dec”. Carter Page has never been charged & actually worked WITH the FBI to take down Russians. Lies go on forever. Soft Coup by so called Elite few.